White Privilege, As Explained By Oprah

 Thank you, Oprah Winfrey, for educating this backwoods Michigan farm girl about white privilege. Obviously I would know nothing about such things.

Oprah, bless her li'l heart, points out why we white people have 'it,', despite a wide range in education, background and financial worth -- we're all white. 

Not sure what the defining percentage is here -- if you're 90% Caucasian and 10% Black, does that still make you 'white?' 60%? 55%?? Considering how many of us in America are 'mutts' in this respect, myself included, this could be a real puzzle. Maijia DiGorgio is in real trouble. 

During a recent interview with Her Enlightenedness, another guest commented:

“Not all white people have power. There’s plenty of poor, working-class white people. But I think that when we group all of white people together and we don’t recognize the fact that there’s a lot of white people that struggle, and it’s a different struggle as you mentioned because they’re not streaming upstream let’s call it …”

    “I think that if we’re gonna come together and really attack racism and the inequities that are in this country and are in this world, that it’s important not to group all white people.”

Winfrey responded, “There are white people who are not as powerful as the system of white people — the caste system that’s been put in place. But they still, no matter where they are on the rung or ladder of success, they still have their whiteness.”

The veteran broadcaster also said white people have a “leg up.”

“You still have your whiteness. That’s what the term ‘white privilege’ is. It means that whiteness still gives you an advantage, no matter,” she said.

Of course we will not be discussing Oprah's $2.6 BILLION worth in this scenario. After all, she can't be 'white privileged' -- she has the proper pigment tone. She can label anyone she wants racist -- even if they don't think they are -- because, after all... (see previous sentence).

Gentle Readers, are you tired of this yet? I certainly am.

I did not grow up privileged -- my parents were small-time farmers. (Those of you who were raised on a farm, you know what that means. Fresh air, fresh vegetables and meat -- but no cash, especially if the crop wasn't good that year. And a LOT of work.) My dad had an additional job in town, just to keep the bills paid. My brother and I not only worked as kids -- we both took jobs all during high school, again to pay our bills, but also to be able to go to college. I worked all the way through college and grad school -- then worked more, after the Brick and I married, so we could keep things going. 

     It was anything but easy, typing other people's reports, when I had my own paper to finish and an exam the next day. I grew used to scanning down a restaurant menu for the cheapest item, and buying my clothes at the thrift shop -- or on clearance. I read as much as possible, studied...and consistently fought the premise that being female (strike #1) and a farmer's daughter, not well-traveled  -- except for camping -- or wealthy (strikes #2 and #3) made me stupid or a hick.

 I was lucky, growing up, to be able to take advantage of financial aid and scholarships....but the prize goes to Sparta, Michigan's Carnegie library, which opened up a wide world to me. (TV was intriguing, but we only saw it occasionally, when Grandma went to Florida and we borrowed her set. That was the case through fourth grade.) I was lucky to have bosses who believed in me, and hired me, even when I was barely old enough. I was lucky to have teachers, including a dear uncle, who constantly pushed me to think better and stronger. And I was especially lucky to have a God who cared and encouraged, even when things looked bleak. I am convinced that certain fortuitous 'coincidences' were His doing -- including meeting my husband at a restaurant, totally by 'accident.' (He sat at my table.)

     I was also fortunate that my marriage partner never treated me as anything but a friend and an equal. We have our disagreements, like anyone else, but the Brick has been a steady help and encouragement over 38+ years. However, I had plenty of contact with others who were not so kind. Or fair. This, sadly,has  included fellow colleagues.

Does this sound like 'white privilege,' Oprah? 

Do you think I'm the only one in the whole white world whose life experience has been like this? Actually, it's been a little bit like yours. I was lucky to have parents who loved me, and helped however they could -- unlike your experience at times. I know you had to work hard to get where you are today. That's admirable. It really is.

“And now why is Oprah, maybe the richest black woman in the world, trying to shame white people as privileged? Miss Winfrey, you are the personification of WHITE PRIVILEGE!,” said Irene Armendariz-Jackson, a Republican congressional candidate from Texas.

Said columnist Wayne Depree, “Billionaire Oprah is now shaming white people for all their ‘easy success’ in life.”

     Others have succeeded. They may not be billionaires (!!!), but they've lived rich, varied lives, encouraging and supporting others along the way. Their lives weren't always easy. But they did it...and their skin tones came in all shades and colors. Perhaps you should point that out, instead. 

O Magazine, by the way, will no longer in print next year -- it stops publication with the December 2020 issue. (For us editorial types, this means that the decision was made now -- magazines usually print 6 months ahead.) The magazine will apparently still exist digitally.

Oprah Winfrey, on her 2014 tour.
(Wikipedia)